Insulating attachment strip

ABSTRACT

An insulating strip, including a support member and insulating member, is attached to a wood or metal stud/ceiling beam. The wall and ceiling board is then attached to the insulating strip to prevent heat/cold transfer from the outside into the room or from the room to the outside. The insulating strip includes a support plate or shaped member with an insulating member secured to the plate or inside the shaped member. The support member is made of one of metal, plastic and fiber glass. The insulating strip is secured to an existing stud or beam by fasteners with the insulating member adjacent to and contacting the existing stud or beam. A wall board is then attached to the support member.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to structural and framing members, including metal and wood studs and beams used in building construction, and more particularly to an insulating strip applied to studs and beams of existing structures to prevent heat or cold from entering and leaving a building structure through the walls and ceilings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many commercial buildings and some residents have walls and ceilings framed with metal or wood studs and beams. These frames are fabricated to length to form the structure on which wall and ceiling sheathing is attached. Even though insulation is placed between the beams/studs, there is heat/cold transfer through the metal and wood members and the wall boards. Various structural members exist to help prevent the heat/cold transfer. Several patents are described below that show several structural members that use insulating materials.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,012 defines a composite building stud that combines two metal shapes, inner and outer, with an insulating material to form a composite structural member having excellent acoustical properties. The stud also has an insulating valve (R-value) greater than a similar metal member normally used as a stud in a residential structure. The composite also has a strength comparable to that of a similar steel member normally used as a stud in a residential structure. One shape encompasses the other shape. The composite structural member eliminates any direct metal connections and thus eliminates any thermal shorts that reduce the overall insulating value (R-value) of the composite member

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,144, a metal beam with a thermal break between opposite sides and method of making is disclosed. In a first embodiment a huck rivet extends through aligned holes in a pair of opposed beam sections having a base wall portion and a side wall portion. In a second embodiment a punch/swedge operation forms a rivet in the base wall portion of one beam section that extends through the other base wall portion of the other beam section. In a third embodiment a series of spaced, alternating tabs and recesses are formed in the beam section and the tabs overlap and are riveted at overlapping tabs only to form a gap in the formed beam. In a fourth embodiment oppositely opening hooks are formed in the inner sections of first and second beam sections that interfit and are seamed together to fasten the two beam sections with a continuous seam along the center of a composite beam.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,381 defines an insulative beam and method for its construction. The insulative beam includes two support channels formed from a sheet metal and a block of a plastic material shaped so that each of the two channels wraps at least partly around the block of plastic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the channels extend longitudinally beyond the block of plastic material. If desired to give additional strength to the ends of the insulative beam, the ends are reinforced with angles or channels that fit at the end of the block of plastic material and the angles or channels are welded to the support channels. In other embodiments, the reinforcement is supplied by vertical ribs formed in the web of the support channels. The location of the vertical ribs can be at the ends of the beam or at other areas that are otherwise weakened. Additional reinforcement can be provided by vertical supports within each of the channels. In a further preferred embodiment, the channels are further reinforced by rectangular tubes that run longitudinally along the corners of the channels. In a still further preferred embodiment, the support beam includes two angles with a rectangular tube placed at the corner of the angle and another rectangular tube attached at the upper end of the angle. To further strength the beam, copies of the beam can be placed together and welded so that they act together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A combination structural member and insulating strip is attached to a wood or metal stud/ceiling beam. The wall and ceiling board is then attached to the insulating strip to prevent heat/cold transfer from the outside into the room or from the room to the outside. The insulating strip includes a plate or U-shaped support member with an insulating strip secured to the plate or inside the U-shaped member. The plate of U-shaped member can be made of a metal, plastic or fiber glass construction. The insulating strip is secured to an existing stud or beam with the insulating strip adjacent to and contacting the existing stud or beam. A wall board is then attached to the support member which is insulated from the stud and ceiling beams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a wall framing using the insulation strips of the invention;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show a cross-sectional view of an insulating strip mounted on a wall stud;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of the insulating strip;

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the insulating strip;

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the insulating strip;

FIG. 6 shows a wall with an insulation strip mounted on a wall top plate between two insulation strips on studs;

FIG. 7 shows an end view of an insulating strip for mounting at the intersection of a wall and ceiling; and

FIG. 8 shows the insulating strip of FIG. 7

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a framed wall 10 with insulating strips of the present invention attached to each of the vertical studs. For example wall 10 has three vertical studs 11, 12 and 13, secured to the floor plate 20 and top plate 14. There is an insulating strip 17 on stud 12 and an insulating strip 18 on stud 13. Each insulating strip has two basic parts. For Example, each strip has a support strip and an insulating strip. Insulating strip 18 has a top portion of it removed to show the insulation 18 a against stud 13 thermally isolating the support portion 18 b of strip 18 from stud 13.

Insulating strip 15 is shown as it is to be positioned to be attached to stud 11. Strip 15 is placed against stud 11 with the insulation portion 15 b against stud 11. Insulating strip 15 is then secured to stud 11 by screws or other fastener 19. Only three fasteners are shown, but as many as needed are used to securely attached the insulating to the stud.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b is a cross-sectional view, taken through section line 2-2, of stud 11 with insulating stip 15 attached. Stud 11 may, for example, be C-shaped, as shown in FIG. 2 a, or may be a solid stud 11 a, as shown in FIG. 2 b. Insulating strip 15 has an outer support portion 15 a, and may be, for example, C-shaped with re-enforcing ridges 15 c extending down each side. Ridges 15 c may also be used to hold insulating material 15 b in place and prevent it from separating from support stip 15 a before it is secured to a stud by fasteners 19. In the even that support ridges are not used, insulating strip 15 a could be held in place with an adhesive. It should be noted that in mounting and insulating strip to a stud, or ceiling framing member (not illustrated) the strip is positioned so that there is a space S on each side of the strip so that only the insulating material is in contact with the stud, preventing thermal transfer from the stud to the support member of the insulating strip.

FIG. 3 illustrates an end view of insulating strip 30. This view of only the insulating strip shows the support portion 31 with the insulating material 32 inside. The fastner hole 33, of which there are several, is shown.

FIG. 4 shows a variation of the insulating strip of the invention. In this embodiment, the support portion 41 of insulating strip 40 does not extend, or enclose as much of the insulating material as in FIG. 3. This embodiment reduces the amount of material used in the insulating strip and the weight of each strip. By using a plastic or fiber glass material for the support member, the weight is reduce over the use of metal. The weight factor may be important when attaching the insulating strips to ceiling rafters. In this embodiment, it may be necessary to apply a small amount of adhesive to hold the insulating material 42 to metal strip 41 until it is mounted on a stud or ceiling rafter with fasteners through holes 43.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an insulating strip where in strip 50 has a flat strip 51 with an insulating material 52 attached thereto. The strip is attached to existing metal structures by fasteners through openings 53.

To seal and provide support for wall boards at the ceiling and floor between the insulation strips on the studs, insulating strips 60 and 61 may be secured to the floor and ceiling plates of the wall. This is shown in FIG. 6 where insulating strips 60 and 61 are mounted above and below, or between the insulating strips 15, 17 and 18.

FIG. 7 shows an insulating strip for mounting around the ceiling to support wall boards between the mounting strips on the studs and/or for mounting ceiling boards. FIG. 7 shows stud 71 with ceiling joist/rafter 70. Insulating strip 72 has an angled support strip 73 and an insulation strip 74 which are secured to either the ceiling joist/rafter 70, or it could be secured to stud 71. A ceiling board 78 is mounted to insulating strip 72, and a wall board 79 is secured to an insulating strip 80, made up of support strip 82 and insulating material 81. In FIG. 7, the insulating stip 72 is mounted over insulating strip 80, however, insulating strip 80 could extend to the ceiling, and ceiling insulating strip 72 could be mounted adjacent to the wall insulating strip 80.

An isometric view of insulating strip 72 is shown in FIG. 8. Metal support 73 is on two sides of insulating material 74, and insulating strip is mounted using fasteners inserted though holes 76 and secured to the studs, or ceiling plates. 

1. An insulating strip to be applied to structural elements to prevent thermal transfer through a wall board to the structural elements, comprising: a support strip; and an insulating material secured to the support strip to insulated the support strip from a structural element when the support strip and insulating material is mounted on an existing structural element.
 2. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein said support strip has a back side and two sides extending away from the back side and providing at least a partially enclosed area in which the insulating material is placed.
 3. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein said support strip is one of a C-shaped, L-shaped and flat shaped configuration.
 4. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein said support strip has support ridges which extend at least partially the length of the support strip, said support ridges holding said insulating material in and against said support strip.
 5. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein the support strip is L-shaped.
 6. The insulating strip according to claim 1, wherein said support strip is made of one of metal, plastic and fiber glass material.
 7. An insulating strip to be applied to wood and metal structural elements to prevent thermal transfer through a wall board to the structural elements, comprising: a C-shaped support strip: and an insulating material mounted in the support strip to insulated the support strip from a structural element when the support strip and insulating material is mounted on an existing structural element.
 8. The insulating strip according to claim 7, wherein said support strip has a back side and two sides extending away from the back side and proving an partially enclosed area, and the insulating material is placed at least partially within the partially enclosed area.
 9. The insulating strip according to claim 7, wherein said support strip partially encloses said insulating material.
 10. The insulating strip according to claim 7, wherein said support strip has support ridges which extend at least partially the length of the support strip, said support ridges holding said insulating material in and against said support strip.
 11. The insulating strip according to claim 7, where in the support strip has openings therein through which fasteners are inserted to secure the support strip to a structural element.
 12. An insulating strip to be applied to metal/wood structural elements to prevent thermal transfer through a wall board to the metal/wood structural elements, comprising: a flat support strip: and an insulating material secured to the support strip to insulated the support strip from a metal/wood structural element when the support strip and insulating material is mounted on an existing metal/wood structural element. 